Snapping with sharks: La Jolla scientist competes on Netflix ocean photography show
For some, encountering a shark during a dive in the ocean might seem like a worst-case scenario. But for others, including Scripps Institution of Oceanography postdoctoral scholar Brendan Talwar, there’s nothing better.
Taking that passion to Netflix, Talwar is a contestant on a new competition show called “All the Sharks,” which invites four teams of two members each to photograph sharks around the world. The winning team receives $50,000 for the charity of its choice. All episodes are available on Netflix.
“It was better than I could have imagined,” said Talwar, a marine fisheries ecologist. “I got to travel around the world. … Some of these places I probably would have never had a chance to dive. I got to go to the Great Barrier Reef, and the chances of me going there without this show are pretty slim. As a person that loves the ocean and loves these causes, it was a lot of fun.”
Talwar is not allowed to divulge results of the competition.
Talwar, who is originally from Kentucky, spent time in coastal Florida during his youth, which sparked an interest in ocean ecosystems.
Years later, while studying mountain lions and wildlife management in New Mexico, “I learned that the issues they face are similar to what sharks face,” Talwar said. “That program ignited my passion for problem-solving and all the complexities of wildlife management. Ever since, I have applied that idea to ocean animals. … How can I use science to solve a problem?”
He arrived at Scripps Oceanography in La Jolla in 2022 for his postdoctoral work and continued his research and advocacy.
Last year, Netflix did a casting call to find people to participate in a show that was “shark-positive,” Talwar said.
“Different [television] programs have leaned into fear and drama, but that is not an accurate portrayal of what is out there,” he said. “The point of the show is to highlight the healthy ecosystems … and diverse species, so we wanted to show that, as opposed to every other show.”
There was a certain thrill in not knowing where the team would go next or what would be waiting there, further piquing his interest in participating, he said.
“They would hand us a plane ticket and say ‘You’re going to the Maldives,’” Talwar said. “So we would have a few days to learn everything we could about what we might encounter there and everything we can about what lives there. We also had to familiarize ourselves with common dive sites and where there might be risks. We would land, have one day to get settled and then three days to plan and carry out dives.”
Once in the water, the teams would take as many photos as possible. The rarer the shark, the higher the point value. Points also were awarded based on the number of photos, the number of diverse species captured and the clarity of the images.
“At the end of the day, we would hand them our memory cards and they review the photos and score them,” Talwar said. “We didn’t even know who had what until the end.”
The prize money for the winning team must go to an ocean-centered organization. Talwar and his teammate, marine biologist Chris Malinowski, competed on behalf of the Ocean First Institute and the Reef Environmental Education Foundation.
“I’m excited to see what people take away from it,” Talwar said of the show. “For me, it was that healthy, biodiverse ecosystems are places of joy. … The places in the ocean that look the way they do are so special and the animals are so fantastic, and the fact that we can bring that to people’s living rooms is amazing. These are exceptional habitats, and it would be great to have more of them.”
As a supplement to the show, Talwar and Malinowski launched a podcast called “The Shark Docs” that will be released one episode at a time for the next month on YouTube. They also will post updates at instagram.com/shark_docs.
For more information about “All the Sharks,” go to netflix.com/title/81711583.